whom I could mention, ceafe to be political and become pious; would They turn Champions for Religion, inftead of being Advocates for Men in Power, and employ their Pens in That, which I hope They underfland; I do not doubt but They would foon detect the Errors of the Papifts, and in fome Measure conceal their own. But

while They spend their whole Time in writing minifterial Pamphlets and Letters, directing the Freemen of Great Britain in the Choice of their Representatives; it is no Wonder that the artful and industrious Priests of Rome fhould make their Advantage of it, and gain more Converts to their Church than the Others do to the State. Some late Proceedings have convinced all Englishmen that They ought to be apprehenfive of other People, befides Papifts and Jacobites, who have engrofs'd their Sufpicions long enough, and ferved very bad Purposes, befides thofe of the Pretender. They ought now to be upon their Guard against other Perfons, who can project the worst of Schemes without any Remorfe of Confcience, or ftanding in need of Abfolution. Thefe Gentlemen feem to be fo confcious of the Part They have been acting, and fo fenfible of the Impreffion, which their late Conduct has made upon the People, that They have retain'd a whole Army of mercenary Advocates to intercede for Them. Some of Them are free enough to acknowledge, that their Patron and his Creatures have err'd; that, like other Men, They are fallible; but, however, if you will forgive Them this Time, They will never do fo again. Others are more obftinate, and ftill infift upon the Righteoufness and Integrity of their defeated Scheme. But of all the minifterial Grubs, I own myself moft pleafed with the Couranteers. There is really fomething very diverting in the Writings of thefe Men who put Themselves into a great Paffion, becaufe nobody will anfwer Them; and fight very manfully under their Patron's Banners, without any Adverfary. What a glorious Figure in Politicks might these Heroes make, if fomebody would condefcend to engage

In

with Them, and give Them an Opportunity of dif tinguishing the Sharpness of their Weapons? deed, Mr. D'Anvers, I cannot help faying that it is a little cruel in You to treat Them with fo much Contempt, and never vouchfafe Them any Reply. You know very well that They are retain'd in Pay, as Men of Abilities; but if nobody will take Notice of Them, the great Man, perhaps, will draw fome Conclufion to their Disadvantage, and difcard Them for a Parcel of filly Fellows, who can do his Caufe no Good. Now, in this Cafe, You may be juftly charged with robbing Them of their Bread; and therefore I could wish that You would now and then just mention Them, by way of Charity, and to give Them a little Credit with their Patron.

Having done this good Office to an unfortunate Set of Men, I fhall now proceed, as I propofed, to fhew the Freeholders and Electors their true and real Intereft, at the enfuing Election, without any View of Popularity on one Side, or Hopes of Favour on the other.

In the first Place, there is no one Truth in Mathematicks more evident than that our Representatives ought to be Perfons fuperior to the fordid Views of SelfIntereft; for otherwife They may be induced to make a Traffick of that facred Truft, which is repofed in Them; and, blind to the Intereft of the Publick, confider nothing but their own. The Perfons least to be fufpected of Corruption are Thofe, who enjoy a confiderable Share of Property; and therefore the Legiflature has wifely instituted that no Man fhall be admitted into this high Charge, who has not an Eftate in fome Meafure fuitable to the Dignity of his Character. The indigent Man is under a thoufand Temptations to be difhoneft, and He must be fortified with more than ordinary Courage and Philofophy to be otherwife. For this Reafon, it has been always a principal Art of wicked Minifters to render Elections as expenfive as poffible; that They may deter Country Gentlemen from engaging

$ 3

in

in them, and by those Means procure their own Creatures to be return'd; or if that Stratagem fails, the Gentlemen of the Country may be fo opprefs'd with the Debts They have contracted, in the Service of their Fellow-Subjects, that They must be obliged to betray their Interefts, to fave Themfelves and their Families from Ruin. This wicked Scheme has, in former Ages, been fo common in Practice and fo fatal in its Influence, that the Legiflature was at length forced to enact an honest Law to prevent it; I mean, the late Act against Bribery and Corruption. By that Act direct Bribery is, I hope, effectually prevented; but if expenfive Treats and Feaftings are expected from the Candidates, and required as neceffary Qualifications in Them, the fatal Inconveniencies before-mention'd ftill remain, and will inevitably deftroy our Conftitution, in Procefs of Time. The Crime of that Wretch, who fells his Voice for a Sum of Money, to fupport his hungry and diftrefs'd Family, will admit of fome Alleviation; but He, who meanly prostitutes his Confcience for a Drinking-Bout, is without Excufe.

I wish I could fay that Perfons of mean Fortunes only were to be fufpected of acting under Influence. I fear there are many others, who ought to be Objects of our Sufpicion and it was once the Opinion of the King, Lords and Commons, that no Man, who had a Place, or Penfion from the Crown, fhould fit among the Reprefentatives of the People of England. It is a difficult Thing for any Man to ferve two Masters; and to diftinguifh, when Contests arife, which ought to prevail, his Gratitude to his King, or his Duty to his Country. I do not in the least doubt that fome Gentlemen, in thefe Circumstances, act according to the beft of their Judgments; but, at the fame Time, it must be confels'd that their Judgments may be guided by their own Interest.

Thefe Confiderations, which I have offer'd, principally relate to new Candidates, and fuch as have by their

own

own Actions given no Teftimony of their Morals. The Gentlemen, who have ferved before, and make Application again for the Voices of their Countrymen, will neceffarily be judged by their former Conduct, and meet with a Reception fuitable to their Merits. If f any Perfons are discover'd to have been inftrumental in betraying the Liberties of the Subject, committed to their Care; ready, upon all Occafions, to lay new Burthens upon Traders, by reviving old Duties, and new modelling others; They will be treated with the utmost Contempt; and trusted no more with an Office, which_They have executed with Bafenefs and Treachery. It must be evident to all Men, that the Liberties of Englishmen now depend upon the approaching Crifis. Should the Electors of Great Britain make but one falfe Step, in all Probability it would be irretrievable.

If we look into antient Histories, and take a View of the Revolutions of free States, We fhall find that few have loft their Liberties by foreign Conqueft, or external Invafions, in Proportion to Thofe, which have been enflaved by the Bribery of their Magiftrates, and the Corruption of the People. Rome, that had conquer'd the World, was enflaved by the Venality of the People. But I hope That will never be our Cafe. At least, the prefent Spirit of the People, which difcovers itfelf through all Parts of the Kingdom, gives us a better Profpect, and ought to animate us in the Caufe of Liberty. It is credibly reported that a few Perfons at TAUNTON, who had it in their Power to turn the Election of a Mayor, lately refufed a Sum of TWO THOUSAND POUNDS for their Votes, upon that Occasion; and We have had fome Inftances of the like Nature at ROCHESTER and other Places. The Conduct of thefe Men certainly deferves our higheft Acknowledgments; and if the Electors in general would follow their Example, They would not only purge Themfelves from the Imputation of Corruption, but prove the glorious Inftruments of preferving our Conftitution in its full Vigour. D. R. I am, SIR, &c. SATURDAY,

N° 387. SATURDAY, December 8, 1733.

M

ONSIEUR de la Rochefoucault is cenfured by feveral Writers for ascribing all human Actions to the fingle Motive of Self-Love, and thereby weakening, if not deftroying, the Duties of Religion

and Morality. Without entering into the many Reasonings and Refinements, which this Propofition would admit of, or making an Analyfis of the different Kinds of Self-Love, I believe one may venture in general to affirm that Self-Love, in the common Acceptation of the Word, hath a very great Share in the Determination of the Will; and, indeed, it would be too much to require of Mankind, in their present State of Frailty and Imperfection, to purfue Virtue, either as a religious or a moral Duty, abitractedly from all other Confiderations whatfoever, and feparately from Hopes or Fears, pleafing Consciousness or Remorfe, Fame or Infamy.

Ás thefe complicated Caufes do, in no Degree, alter the Effect of virtuous Actions, I cannot think that they leffen, in any great Degree, the Merit of them. They rather manifeft the Excellency of Virtue, by fhewing us how many different Motives concur to invite us to every

good